(Click small images to change picture or use arrows on right side of pictures.)

American Ingenuity suggests that dome owners try to locate their fireplace toward the middle of the dome, rather than along the outside edge which would cause the flue to be very tall on the outside. This puts more of the flue pipe inside the house where it can radiate the heat. However if needed the fireplace can be installed on an exterior wall.

How is the fireplace flue installed in the Ai dome? Contact Ai for a document that explains how to cut a hole in the panel, affix bolts to the dome, etc.)

As long as the flue pipe is round, simply bust a hole in the thin concrete of the component panel. Do not cut within eight inches of a concrete seam center.

Enlarge the hole in the E.P.S. insulation so that you can replace the E.P.S. with 2” of fiberglass insulation. (Most times the flue pipes are double walled so you do not have to replace the E.P.S. with fiberglass insulation.)

Then concrete around the flue pipe, caulk and paint.

Use a nonsilicon caulk like urethane or latex or use a butyl rubber.

In the Ai Domes can I use a fireplace to heat them? Yes. Ai’s smaller sized domes (22’, 27’, 30’, 34’) have such small heating and air-conditioning demands; it could be practical for to utilize a window air-conditioner and a space heater. A ventilating wood stove or fireplace may provide all the needed heat for even our larger domes located in cold climates.

Bear in mind in some states, including Florida, a permanent heat source has to be shown in your building plans and installed within your dome. This means a space heater would not be acceptable. You would need at least a baseboard heater installed to comply with the permanent heat source requirement. Ask your building department if they have a permanent heat source requirement.

Can even your 45’ dome be heated with a fireplace? Yes if the heat from your fireplace is blown through your duct system to heat each of your rooms. The following Home Power magazine article discusses how the Collar’s heat their dome with a fireplace.

What do you need when you are going to live in a high desert (7,500 ft. elev.) 40 miles from the nearest town with the winters reaching down 20 degrees below zero? That is where Jim and Mary Collar planned to build their solar retirement home. To extend electric power to their home site would cost $22,000.00 so the Collars decided to produce their power using photovoltaic solar cells with a back up generator. Their primary source of heat would be their fireplace.

In 1995 after researching many alternative-building methods, they found their home, an American Ingenuity 45’’Dome House and 30’’garage. The American Ingenuity dome kit was selected for its strength, energy efficiency and its affordability. They selected sub contractors for the construction of their two domes with Mary being the general contractor. Jim was commuting 40 miles to his job but on evenings and weekends they could work together. They were asked by the state of Utah to participate in “Utahs’1998 Tour of Innovative Homes” which is in conjunction with the American Solar Energy Society’s National Tour of solar Homes.

About 30% of our clients assembly their kit while others hire a Builder who hires the Consultant. The Component Panels, Building Plans and Assembly Manual come marked with panel nomenclature. If you do not want to manage the assemble of the dome kit, Ai knows of independent working consultants that travel around the country assembling the dome shell using your concrete workers or your contractor’s concrete workers. If you are on the east coast Ai knows of a Virginia builder who can be hired with his crew to construct an ICF basement and assemble the dome kit.

The working consultant charges a daily rate, travel expenses, motel expenses and car rental while at your site. Using three to five good concrete workers and depending upon the size dome and type of hoisting mechanism, shell assembly (Kit with two entryways and four dormers) can take from 9 to 16 days. Once you decide on your floor plan, Ai can estimate the number of days needed for the shell assembly (cupola, entryways and dormers take longer to install than triangles).

You or your contractor hire conventional subcontractors to do the normal jobs like forming and pouring the slab, plumbing, electrical, framing, etc. We figure you should not pay someone to come in from out of state to do work that your local subs can perform.

A few years ago prior to the working consultant that supervises the shell assembly, some of our dome owners had to hire contractors or individuals that had never assembled one of our dome shell kits. As a result the contractor had to overcharge the dome owner because they did not know what problems they would run in to. Many times they would charge as much as the cost of the building kit for the labor cost to assemble the kit.

If you are considering utilizing the Consultant, call our office at 321-639-8777 Monday thru Friday 9-5 eastern time for more info.

A helpful web site is rsmeans.comIt has construction manuals, construction estimating CD’s, etc. Another helpful cost estimating program is from EZHome Build.

To learn more click on Kit Assembly to read our most common asked kit assembly questions and their answers.

Engineer Sealed Dome Building Plans can be purchased from American Ingenuity.

45′ dome on full basement by pond in summer time.

Pictured above is 40′ dome on full basement in Missouri.

Standard entryways, second floor balcony, cupola.

It is American Ingenuity’s philosophy that each customer pay for only what they need. Ai does not burden the price of the building kit with plan’s pricing, engineer seal cost or energy report cost. Building plans are purchased three months to 1 1/2 years prior to kit shipment. About 50% of the building departments require engineer sealed plans and an energy report to issue a permit. As a result each customer pays for their plans separately from the building kit and pays for a seal and energy report only if their building department requires them. Commercial building plans and their engineer seal can cost 2-3 times the price of residential dome plans due to the complexity of the plan design. To view sale pricing on the dome plans and the dome building kit, please click on Sale. Dome Kit Assembly photos can be viewed at Kit Assembly. Engineering statement can be viewed at Statement. To view examples of stock floor plans for each diameter of dome, click on Tiny Domes and Geodesic Dome Home Plans. Once on the page, scroll down to find the hyperlinks to click on.

If you give us your property tax ID number or property address and your building department name at no cost to you, American Ingenuity can call your building department, show them our web site, drop box generic plans to the official and ask them the following questions. Is an Engineer’s seal required on the building plans? Is an Energy Report required? If required the Engineer Seal and the Energy Report can be purchased from Ai.

What are building departments concerned with? They are concerned with strength and safety and domes excel in these areas. Building departments and building codes are not concerned with appearance; although a plans examiner may be unfamiliar with the aspects of dome construction. They are also concerned with environmental issues and endangered plants and animals. Ai can email you a document that lists the items to watch out for prior to purchasing land and the questions to ask if you already own your property.

Do some building departments require engineer sealed building plans to obtain a building permit? About 50% of Ai’s client’s building departments require engineer sealed building plans to issue a building permit. Call your building department and find out what they require to issue a permit. If they require engineer sealed plans, this means that a licensed engineer for your state will need to review American Ingenuity’s building plans to assure that they comply with your state’s building requirements. Ai has a list of engineers certified for all USA states who have sealed Ai plans. Ai calls the engineer and obtains a seal cost which is included on your Plans Quote. When you agree with the Plans Quote and make payment in full for the plans and the engineer seal, Ai starts your plans design and emails the pdfs to the engineer for his review. He tells us of any changes, we make those changes, plot out your plans and mail them to the engineer for his stamp and signature. He then mails them on to you. His signature and stamp means he takes responsibility for the dome design not your building department.

Does all new construction in Florida and California require engineer sealed plans & energy report to obtain a building permit? Yes.

Q: Does American Ingenuity have an engineering statement about your prefabricated dome panels that can be submitted to my building department?

What is the standard foundation included with the stock plans? Concrete slab. For Ai to design a basement or concrete columns or stem wall or pilings, etc. an engineer fee is added to the Plans Quote to cover the cost for a structural engineer to calculate the load of the dome and the load of the two floors within the dome and give joist/edge beam size/spacing and foundation design to our CAD department to incorporate within the plans. Please call for engineer fee.

Florida Engineer Seal info:

A Florida engineer seal for 36′ or smaller dome built on a slab is $400. The seal cost for a 40′ – 48′ dome on a slab is $500.

Florida building departments also require a Florida Energy Report to be submitted at the same time the Florida sealed building plans are submitted. This report is quite detailed and specific – Ai no longer completes this report but provides the dome info to the company completing the energy report for $100. Please call Ai at 321-639-8777 for specifics.

Building in California: A California engineer seal for one dome (22′ – 48′) on a slab is $600. Plus California requires Energy Calculations. Ai. can put you in contact with a firm that performs the California Energy Calculations.

The following building departments in California will allow the Ai dome to be built – California Counties of San Diego, San Bernardino, Trinity, Solona, Shasta and Riverside. The building department will accept CA engineer sealed plans, CA sealed structural calculations, CA sealed engineering statement that includes the following: “panel composition of the geodesic dome buildings is designed in accordance with and conforms to the intent of California Building Code that allows for alternative materials and methods of construction”. If you are thinking of building near a large California city, the building department could require that the building kit be certified by the state of California. It is not cost effective for American Ingenuity to pay for this certification. As a result if this is required, the Ai dome cannot be built.

At no cost to you, Ai can contact your building department – show them our web site and email generic plans, engineering statement, sample of structural calculations. When calling Ai will ask if California engineer sealed plans, California Energy Report, California sealed engineering statement and wind/seismic/snow/bracing calculations and all their other required paperwork and reports are submitted can a residential building permit be obtained on the Ai dome kit. Ai is happy to talk to your building officials to answer their questions.

What does the engineer do? He reviews the American Ingenuity Dome Building Plans to assure that they comply with your state’s building codes. The engineer will let us know if anything needs to be changed. We make the changes to the plans and we send the revised plans to the engineer who then crimps them with his seal and signs his name to the structural sheets. This seal and his signature mean that he certifies that the plans comply with your state’s building codes. Either we or the engineer mails the signed plans to you. You take them along with the other required paperwork to your building department to obtain your building permit. Because each city and county within each state can have varying requirements, your city or county building department may request some changes to the sealed plans. Ai will work with your building department to make those changes at no cost to you. However if the engineer has to get reinvolved with design work, there may be an engineering fee. If your building department will not accept the changes via electronic sealed document and require the revised sheets to be printed or new sets of sealed plans submitted, the buyer will incur a plotting and shipping cost on the required blueprints.

When an engineer seals a set of plans he is taking responsibility for the structural design for a single dome in the location intended and the seal would not apply to other projects.

Can Building Departments be hard to work with? Not normally. American Ingenuity is used to working with building departments and is happy to answer any and all of their questions. For example we had two clients in Palatka Florida who were going for building permits around the same time. Their building department approved their plans (with no changes) within a couple of weeks. Similar plans with similar information were submitted to counties south of us and the building officials wanted changes and took a couple of months to give the client a building permit. Ai never knows how each building official will interpret the Building Codes for their state.

Tell me about the strength of the Ai dome. The code design criteria requires that Ai show the American Ingenuity Dome Building can with stand wind, snow and seismic loading. Our standard design will accommodate forces in excess of up to 225 mph winds, F4 tornado and 50 lbs. snow load. Click on Strength to learn more.

Our dome design has proved itself by withstanding hurricane Andrew’s 200 mph winds, sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow loads of Canada and the Northwest Territory, a 30″ in diameter tree impact, four Florida hurricanes in 2004 and many other conditions since 1976. Click on Hurricane Recap to learn more. Although our Building Plans have been reviewed by over 30 different engineers, the plans do not come with an engineer’s seal for the following reasons. About half of our dome owners needed engineer sealed Building Plans to obtain a building permit and rather than adding the engineer seal cost to all plans it is more economical to have the plans sealed as needed. As the designer and manufacturer American Ingenuity would not hesitate to guarantee the structural integrity of our dome and we do just that with our guarantee. Each state only accepts a seal from an engineer who is registered in that state which prevents us from applying any seal that would be universally accepted.

Does the Ai Dome comply with the new Florida Building Code? Yes, although we have been informed that Dade and Broward Counties in South Florida require product approval on the wall segments. Due to the cost and complexity of the tests, Ai has concluded it is not economical for us to pursue product approval. Ai has found that most all other Florida building departments will accept Florida engineer sealed plans, Florida Engineer Sealed Structural Calculations and Florida engineer sealed engineering statement that says “panel composition of the geodesic dome buildings is designed in accordance with and conforms to the intent of 2014 Florida Building Code 5th Edition, Residential and referenced provisions of the 2014 Florida Building Code, Building that allows for alternative materials and methods of construction.”

Building Options – entryways, dormers. Why do I need entryways and dormers to install windows and doors? At specific locations around the perimeter of the dome, triangles and riser panels can be left out to provide openings where you or your framer installs your locally purchased doors and windows. To structurally compensate for the triangle and riser panels being left out, these “structural awnings” – entryways, dormers or cupola have to be installed.

45′ dome utilizing standard entryway to incorporate bay window

To view the Building Option Listing and Pricing, please scroll down the page. To view Ai’s discount on the dome kit with one entryway pricing, Please click onSave. To view regular and sale pricing on the Tiny Dome Kits (172 sq.ft.-1,278 sq.ft.) click on Tiny Homes.

The Ai dome kit consists of all the triangular panels, four foot tall riser panels for the dome shell and panels for one entryway. The exterior of each triangle or riser panel is 3/4″ fiber concrete reinforced with galvanized steel mesh with a center of 7″ Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) with interior 1/2″ Georgia Pacific DensArmor (moisture resistant/mold resistant gypsum wallboard) adhered to each riser and triangle panel. Your floor plan selection determines how many more entryways (standard, garage or high profile), window dormers, door dormers, cupola, link, etc. will be ordered. The link is used to connect two domes together. The building kit does not include any doors or windows and does not contain any interior items (except for the interior shell wall board). American Ingenuity believes that you should not pay shipping on items that can be purchased locally.

Dome Building Options

The Building Options for the American Ingenuity dome include: Entryways, Cupola, Window Dormers, Door Dormers,Garage Domes, Links, 5′ riser panels for 22′ & 27′ domes, 2′ additional riser panels for 30′-48′ domes and 9″ thick insulation. These options (except for the links and insulation) allow for openings where your locally purchased standard doors, garage doors and windows are installed within a 2×4 or 2×6 framed wall that is built on site.

To view floor planners, elevation views of each dome size and print out Ai’s stock floor plans showing the placement of entryways, window dormers, door dormers, cupola, etc., click on the following link, Stock Floor Plans, scroll down the page and click on the hyperlinks.

The floor planners show the possible locations for first floor entryways, window dormers and door dormers and show the possible locations for second floor window dormers, door dormers or cupolas.

Call us at 321-639-8777 Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 eastern time, and Ai staff will answer your questions as to which domes can have which building options.

Due to spam filters, sometimes emails are not received by us and vice a versa – sometimes we do not receive your emails. So if you email and do not get a reply, please call us.

The 15′, 18′, 22′ and 27′ domes are two frequency domes. The 30′, 34′, 36′, 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes are three frequency geometry. The 60′ dome is a four frequency dome. The frequency and dome size determines the size and number of the panels. Sometimes second floor triangle shaped panels are too small to accept window dormers or door dormers. As a result each dome diameter has specific locations where entryways, window dormers and door dormers can be installed. The following description of possible locations can be confusing so just call us at 321-639-8777 for clarification. To view dome kit regular pricing and sale pricing, please click on Sale.

*Because the 27′ dome is a two frequency dome, its panels are about the size of 40′ panels. As a result the 27′ cupola pricing is the same as the 40′ cupola.

To view floor planners and elevation views for each dome size that show where entryways and dormers can be installed, please click on Planners. Scroll down the page to find the blue hyperlinks to click on. After the stock plans for each size dome you will find the floor planner and the elevation view. The following is a summary of which size domes can have which building options.

There can be up to five standard entryways on the first floor of Ai’s 30’, 34’, 36′, 40’, 45’, and 48’ domes. Instead of using entryways, install first floor window dormers and door dormers in specific locations.

The 30′, 34′, 36′, 40′, 45′, and 48′ domes can have standard entryways and high profile entryways. High profile entryways can be installed where there is no second floor.

The 22′, 27′, 30′, 34′, 36′, and 40′ domes can have two garage entryways. When the domes are designed for a home, the entryway is called G type entryway.

The 15′ & 18′ can have one or two G type entryways. To view plans and info, click on Tiny Domes.

There can be up to five window dormers on the second floor of the 27′, 34′, 36′, 40′, 45′ & 48′ domes. A window dormer can be installed above a high profile entryway.

American Ingenuity is the only geodesic dome kit manufactured that has designed second floor door dormers that utilize the top of the standard entryway as a balcony. Railing is custom built on site. There can be five second floor door dormers in specific locations in the 34′, 36′, 40’, 45’ and 48’ domes. Second floor door dormers have to be installed above first floor standard entryways. Door in 34′ second floor door dormer is 2’x6′ – door has to be custom cut on site. Door in 36′ second floor door dormer is 2′ x 6’8″ – has to be custom ordered. Door in 40′ & 45′ second floor dormer is 2’6″x6’8″. Door in 48′ second floor door dormer is 3’x6’8″. 2nd floor bedrooms in 34′ dome require a fire egress window be installed in a second floor door dormer.

The 15′, 18′, 22′ and 30’ domes can have first floor window and door dormers but cannot have second floor door dormers or second floor window dormers. See elevation views on Tiny Kitlink.

Cupola can be installed on top the 22′-48′ domes.

The 27’ can have first floor window and second floor window dormers but no second floor door dormers. The second floor window dormers on the 27′ dome can accept fire egress windows.

On the second floor of the 36′, 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes there can be a combination of up to five second floor door dormers and or window dormers.

The 22’ and 27’ domes are typically garage domes. On the first floor of a 22′ dome there can be one garage entryway (that can contain a 9′ wide garage door), one door dormer and up to five window dormers. On the first floor of the 27′ dome there can be two garage entryways (which can contain a 16′ wide garage door), one door dormer and up to four window dormers. If you connect a link to a 22′ dome, the link is about 5.5′ to 6′ wide with a standard length of 5′. If you connect a link to a 27′ dome, the link is about 6.75′ wide and has a standard length of 5′.

What types of windows and doors are possible? Standard windows and doors can be installed within the entryways, window dormers, door dormers and cupola of most of Ai’s domes. However for second floor window dormers in a bedroom in specific domes, the fire egress casement window is ordered with egress hardware. If a fiberglass door is desired for second floor door of 36′ dome then a custom 2′ x 6’8″ door is ordered from Therma Tru.

The Ai building kit contains all the panels to assemble the dome shell and the panels for one entryway. The Kit does not include doors and windows. There is such a variety and varying price points, Ai leaves the selection up to each client to purchase and order locally. The floor plan selected will determine where you or your builder will install your locally purchased doors and windows.

Where do windows and doors get installed in the Ai building kit? Under the entryways, dormers or cupola. These are structural “awnings” that extend out from the dome. Within the open area under the “awning” a vertical 2×4 or 2×6 framed wall with appropriate headers is constructed on site to fit your choice of doors or windows. Ai has designed the entryways and dormers in a manner to allow the owner to select from the wide variety of windows and doors that are locally available. Click on Window Sizes to learn more.

Entryways

Entryways in the 3-frequency domes (30′, 34′, 36′, 40′, 45′ & 48′) can be standard, high profile or garage. A standard entryway is 8′ tall and provides an opening where standard 6′ 8″ doors can be installed. High profile entryway allow enough height that 8′ tall doors can be installed or glass can be installed above standard 6’8″ doors. Garage entryways are used in garage domes and are the type entryway used in the 22′ & 27′ domes. To view the widths and heights of all the domes entryways, click on Specifications.

Only garage entryways are available in the two frequency domes (15′, 18′, 22′ and 27′). Entryway panels for the 15′, 18′, 22′ and 27′ dome consist of 3 1/2″ thick E.P.S wrapped in galvanized steel mesh. There is no concrete on the 15′, 18′, 22′ or 27′ entryway panels.

Entryway panels for the 30′, 34′, 36, 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes utilize 3 1/2″ thick E.P.S. wrapped in steel mesh, are preconcreted on the underside surface and have a precast trough on the outer edge. On site form up the back side of the trough, place rebar in the trough, fill the trough with concrete and concrete the outside surface per your building plans.. The openings under the entryways are framed in on the site to fit your choice of standard windows and doors that you purchase locally.

Window Dormers

Window dormer panels consist of 3 1/2″ thick E.P.S. wrapped with steel mesh ready for on site stucco. The openings under the dormers are framed in on site to fit standard windows that you purchased locally. Click on Window Sizesto learn more.

If I want to install a single window what option do I use? First Floor Window Dormers or Second Floor Window Dormers.

On the first floor of the dome, window dormers are installed above any riser panel in all of the Ai domes. Install a second floor window dormer in any of five locations in the 27′, 34′, 36′, 40′, 45′, 48′.

Second floor window dormers are not available in the 15′, 18′, 22′ or 30′ domes. To obtain additional light on the second floor of these domes, install solar tubes by cutting a hole in the preconcreted panels & installing the solar tube per the manufacturer’s directions. In the 30′ dome use a cupola where five standard opening windows can be installed. For indirect light install solar tubes. (When installing do not cut within 8″ of the center of a seam.)

Can a window dormer be installed above a high profile entryway? Yes.

What do the window dormers consist of? Three panels of precut 3 1/2″ E.P.S. wrapped with steel mesh. After the window dormers are installed in the dome shell and its window framing installed, concrete is applied on site.

To obtain a building permit is a certain size window required in a bedrooms to meet fire egress? Yes. Code requires first floor bedroom windows to be at least 44” from the floor. Second floor windows cannot be more than 44′ above the floor and cannot be less than 24″. The window has to be 20″ horizontal dimension by 24″ vertical dimension. When the window is open it has to have 5.7 square feet of opening space. The spec sheets for bedroom egress windows have to state Fire Egress.

If your building department requires an Energy Report to be submitted to obtain a building permit, your building plans will include an exterior door and window chart. During plans design, Ai emails elevation views of the entryways and dormers showing recommended window and exterior door sizes. The homeowner visits window stores (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) and selects windows and exterior doors providing Ai specific energy info which will be included in the energy report. In Florida and other states the building department wants spec sheets submitted on the doors and windows and doors when submitting for a building permit. The spec sheets show the window and door manufacturer, model numbers, product approval numbers and provide the manufacturer’s spec sheet that shows the windows and doors comply with that area’s wind speed requirements. Florida and some states require impact resistant glass or shutters in certain wind speed areas.

Door Dormers

Where can door dormers be installed? On the first floor of the all the Ai domes and on the second floor of the 34′, 36′, 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes.

First Floor Door Dormers: are a way to install a single door. The first floor door dormer can replace most riser wall panels on the ground floor of all the domes. Utilize first floor door dormers for single exterior doors such as kitchen or garage exits. Like window dormers, the door dormer panels are precut from 3 1/2″ thick E.P.S., wrapped in steel mesh and are stuccoed on site during construction.

Second Floor Door Dormer: Pair a second floor door dormer with a standard entryway for an upstairs balcony in the 34′, 36′, 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes. Structural door dormers may be located in any of five locations on the second floor of the 34′, 36′ thru 48′ domes. A second floor door dormer cannot be installed above a high profile entryway.

Door in 34′ second floor door dormer is 2’x6′ – door has to be custom cut on site. Door in 36′ second floor door dormer is 2′ x 6’8″ – has to be custom ordered. Door in 40′ & 45′ second floor dormer is 2’6″x6’8″. Door in 48′ second floor door dormer is 3’x6’8″. 2nd floor bedrooms in 34′ dome require a fire egress window be installed in a second floor door dormer.

Second floor door dormers are not available in the 22′, 27 or 30′ domes.

Riser Panels

Q: Please explain about the Riser Panels that come with each kit.

American Ingenuity includes four foot tall riser panels in the building kit at no extra cost. The new Tiny Dome kits 15′ and 18′ come with standard four foot risers and additional two foot risers.

The four foot tall riser panels allow for more vertical space near the perimeter of the first floor and greater headroom on the second floor. Because of the spherical dome shape, 30% to 50% of the first floor is left open so that the living room and dining room are located under high vaulted ceilings. This allows for a partial second floor to be installed. The first floor ceiling height in the 22′, 27′, 30′, 34′ & 36′ domes that have a second floor above them is 7 1/2 feet. The first floor ceiling height in the 40′ and larger domes that have a second floor built above them is 8′.

Q: Can the first floor ceiling height in rooms that have a second floor built above them be taller than 7 1/2′ or 8′?

A: Yes. Instead of installing four foot risers in the 22′ & 27′ domes install a five foot riser resulting in 8’6″ ceiling height in rooms on the first floor that have a loft or second floor built above them. In the 30′ – 48′ domes, purchase taller entryway base panels and custom Two Foot Tall Riser Panels that are installed above the standard four foot tall risers. This results in the first floor ceiling height of rooms not under high vaulted areas of

9’6″ for 30, 34, 36′ Ai domes

10′ for 36′ dome when there is not a second floor door dormer

10′ for 40′, 45′ and 48′ domes.

Q: Does installing a 5′ riser instead of 4′ risers in the 22′ & 27′ dome or adding 2′ risers above the 4′ risers affect the second floor height?

A: No. Taller risers only give additional height on the first floor and increase the over all height of the dome. The second floor is not affected. The placement of the second floor window dormers and door dormers has to remain where they are designed to meet second floor fire egress standards and correct second floor door installation.

Ai recommends that you build the cupola only if you want a third floor loft or to have a second floor area to install standard opening windows in the 30′ dome. The cupola is a way to add height to the top center of the dome and another way to have opening second floor windows – but adds costs to construction & increases window budget. A different way to add light to a second floor is to max out second floor window dormers or install solar tubes. Install an exhaust fan in top center of the cupola to exhaust hot air and water vapor. With the installation of a cupola, there is enough headroom in the 40′ and larger domes to have a third floor loft.

Cupolas require three partial days for assembly because the concrete has to have time to cure during each process (this does not include framing for the windows or the installation of the windows).

First Partial Day of 5 hours: concrete beam around top opening is formed and poured.

Second Partial Day of 5 hours: concrete corner columns are framed and poured.

Third Partial Day of 5 hours: set top five panels, attach overhang panels and apply first coat of concrete in their seams.

During the rest of the partial days, workers can complete window dormers and door dormer installations.

Interior Shell Finishing

Once the Ai dome building kit is assembled, the 1/2″ Georgia Pacific DensArmor gypsum wall board on the interior of the dome shell is ready to be finished. To install wiring cut a groove in the wallboard & EPS behind where baseboard will be installed and insert wiring. Where electrical outlets will be installed, cut groove up the wall to the outlet height, insert wiring, use expanding foam to fill the groove and then finish area that is above the baseboard with tape and joint compound. Groove behind the baseboard does not need to be filled with expanding foam.

Applying a textured paint using 50/50 mixture of paint and joint compound will likely hide the board seams. Or you can apply joint compound to the DensArmor after the wallboard is primed in what is sometimes called a skip trowel finish, apply primer coats and paint.

On the left hand side of our Home Page is a menu item titled FAQS. To view files that cover areas like Electrical/Plumbing, Framing, Fireplaces, AC Heating, Kitchens, Interior Finishing, Window & Door Sizes, Update Windows and Sound Reduction, lay your cursor on FAQS, then lay your cursor on Interior Finishing and then click on the file you want to read.

9″ Thick Expanded Polystyrene (E.P.S.) Insulation

The standard insulation in Ai’s dome building kits consists of seven inch thick, rigid, nontoxic expanded polystyrene (E.P.S.) or R-28 which is comparable to eleven inches of fiberglass batting. Or purchase thicker 9″ E.P.S. To learn more about E.P.S. as a vapor barrier click on Vapor Barrier.

The cost of the 9″ E.P.S. is the cost to upgrade the 7″ E.P.S. to 9″ E.P.S. for the entire component panel kit. Dormer and Entryway panels utilize 3 1/2″ EPS as a rigid form.

Link

Domes are connected together with a Link which consists of E.P.S. insulation with steel mesh attached on site (mesh can be purchased from Ai) and concrete applied on site. The Link panels consist of precut 3 1/2″ or 7″ thick E.P.S. The Link EPS panels can be purchased with wallboard adhered. On site assemble the Link E.P.S. panels, cover them with steel mesh and coat them with the fiber concrete.

The Link connects to the adjacent domes in the same locations as an entryway or a door dormer. This connection is a custom fitting on site. The thickness of the E.P.S. in a Link is usually 7″ when it takes the place of an Entryway and 3 1/2″ when it connects at where a door dormer would have been located. The width of the links depends on the size of the domes and whether the domes are connected at an entryway or door dormer. The length of the Link is usually 5 ft. Because the riser wall is a standard 4’ high, all domes will match each other despite a difference in diameters.

The width of the link that connects to the 22′ dome is about 5’5″ to 6′ wide. The width of a link that connects to a 27′ dome is about 6.75′ wide. If the link connects onto domes 30′ or larger the width of the length where it connects to the larger dome varies depending upon whether the link connects to the larger dome at a door dormer or a standard entryway. For example, if the link is connected to a 45′ dome at an entryway (taking up two risers) the width of the link where it connects to the 45′ dome might be 13′. These are approximations, the Plan’s Supervisor will give you a more accurate number, once he sees your plans sketches.

Ai does not recommend extensions to entryways for the following reasons. Extensions add exposed surface area faster than they add floor space therefore reducing the energy efficiency. Extensions add to the cost of construction faster than they add floor space therefore increasing the cost per square foot. The long flat roof of the link or extension connects to the curved dome…the link/extension and the dome expand and contract at different rates…a crack will occur where they meet. Ai recommends applying elastomeric patching compound & elastomeric paint where the link panels abutt the dome panels.

American Ingenuity’s Assembly Manual does not include extensions although they are assembled much like entryways or links. In general, domes have inherent advantages because of their shape and deviations away form the dome shape lessons the advantages. However if you desire, extensions Ai can design and manufacture them.

The E.P.S. link panels range in price depending on the length of the link and the size domes the link connects to. Once your plans are finished Ai will know the length and width of your link and can calculate the link’s EPS panel’s pricing, steel mesh pricing and and wallboard pricing.

Ai has developed two garage dome sizes, 22′ and 27′. These garage domes are two frequency icosahedron geometry. This geometry differs from Ai’s other domes in that it utilizes fewer but larger panels. By having larger panels Ai can create a wider opening that is needed for a garage door. You can install a 9′ wide garage door in the 22′. The 22′ dome can have a storage loft of 148 sq.ft. The 27′ garage dome can have a 16′ garage door and the 27′ dome can have a second floor of 231 sq.ft.

Previously a 34′ dome was needed to park two cars. Now a two car garage in a 27′ dome is available which is more cost effective. The 22′ dome provides an economical one car garage. Either of these garage domes can be connected to another dome or built independently from the house.

The 27′ or 34′ garage dome is utilized when you want more first floor perimeter room around the vehicles or when you want a second floor above the garage for an apartment or study, etc. The second floor of the 34′ dome can have 427 sq.ft.

You can find the pricing for the garage kits on the bottom of the Stock Floor Plan Price List that is in the Stock Floor Plan Booklet. Or click on Stock Plans & Stock Kit Pricesand scroll to the bottom of the chart. To view sale pricing on the larger dome kits and the dome building plans, please click on Sale. To view regular and sale pricing on the Tiny Domes, click on Tiny Home Kits.